Today was another busy day with a few unexpected events, but thankfully nothing like yesterday. We’re down one kid tonight to make up for the extra kids earlier in the week, I guess.

This afternoon, I got my mortgage assistance paperwork in for a program that I’ll probably never be able to take advantage of. Because it takes so long to go through that:

I’ll have a job by then, or

Our credit will be ruined and they’ll have kicked us out of the house already

Ha!

Seriously, though, it does take about 6 months for this government program to go through; It’s for people who are on unemployment and it makes their mortgage payments for up to a year, interest free. Sounds too good to be true, right? It took me a month to get a slot—and that was after spending every other Wednesday, 3 times in a row, on the computer at noon on the dot submitting and submitting and submitting the application. Finally, three weeks ago I lucked out. Sort of. I got a slot. But their computer system had a glitch that wouldn’t allow me to log back in and complete my paperwork. And they took 3 weeks to fix it. It took me about 15 minutes to fill out the information they were requesting. It would be kind of funny, actually, if I didn’t think that they’re likely to delay the approval process 3 weeks because of their own mistake.

This evening, I also got to meet with a recruiter about a job opp that’s been in the works for a few months now. Apparently, I’m still in the running and will hopefully get an interview soon!

And then I spent several hours at the station. We did a local interview, some editing, and took out some outdated materials from last Tuesday’s show. The station ended up having a mix-up over our new twice monthly time-slot, and on Tuesday, they forgot to air our show! So, they’re going to air it next Tuesday instead. Of course, it’s already online—it’s just going to air in Central Oregon for the first time next Tuesday.

Tomorrow morning I’m helping out with the last day of Kids Radio Camp. That should be fun!

It’s amazing the things that just don’t matter much when you don’t have cable TV—like The Superbowl, or The Academy Awards. The only reason they cross my radar might be a mention in passing on the internet, or a few less people showing up to the Vegan Pledge. We had our last meeting / potluck tonight and a very low turnout. But I believe that the people who made the effort to be there each week were meant to be there.

I used to make gentle (I hope) fun of a friend of mine because she didn’t have cable and seemed so oblivious and out of touch with current events. This was about ten years ago after the internet had become widespread, but before Hulu and Netflix. I liked the feeling of watching a show that a million other people were watching at the same time. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t have the need to be a part of it. I still like that feeling sometimes of being a part of the whole; Like being part of a crowd at a festival or parade. Or even in tragic events like those first few days and weeks after September 11 when you knew that everyone in the country, and much of the world, were thinking about the same thing at the same time. You’d make eye contact with perfect strangers and yet know pretty much what was on their mind. We were all in shock, and in mourning, and yet, it reminded us that we are all so much more the same, than not.

That day. I can’t imagine not having had cable that day. Without seeing it in real-time, how could we begin to understand? Radio could only take us so far. Although I did first hear about it on the radio, in my car. But still, the video, the planes hitting, again and again and again in endless replay. Did I need that? Today, with broadband internet, would we be glued to CNN still? Or would we be hopping all over the place, checking twitter, Facebook, news feeds? Always looking for that latest tidbit.

This day went by way too quickly: Yoga with step-daughter while the twins swam. Scramble and hash for a late brunch. A Trader Joe’s shopping run. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part II with the family. Dinner. Didn’t get any of the personal things done that I wanted to do today. Hmm.

And tomorrow afternoon will be sucked up with Vegan Pledge Week 4.

Next week is going to be nuts. Something Tue-Thurs nights. And lots of extra things going on during the days as well. Sigh.

A lot of going through the motions lately. When I’m not sure what to do next, I always have a step in my daily routine to mark off the list. I’ve been trying to be good to myself, to keep the stress at bay. This painful kink in my shoulder just won’t go away, in spite of the one acupuncture/massage appointment, stretches, a week of hot baths, and wearing the hot bean-bag thingy. It’s especially painful trying to sleep and when I first get up in the morning. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s 50% stress induced: I’ve been running on adrenaline—I need to step back and take more deep breaths. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

As of today, all three kids have now joined us, and even though it will be bumpy at times, I’m so glad they’re here.

I can’t wait to go to the acupuncturist tomorrow. He’s the nicest guy. And it’s so relaxing. Almost like getting a massage. In fact, he does Thai massage, so he often throws in a little of that on my upper back at the end of the session. Over the last couple of years he’s been treating me for my lung issues when I get sick in the winter and have asthma. I haven’t had any major illnesses and thus no asthma yet this winter, but my stress level is through the roof, and since I slipped on some concrete stairs last week during the big snowstorm, my leg and neck are giving me grief.

Tonight: Good quiet. Things are going fairly well. The twins are almost done with their first week of school here: I think they like it. We talked to the high school today too. My hand cramps from all the redundant paperwork—haven’t the schools in Bend heard that it’s the digital age?!